May 25, 2000 2:50 PM PT

Web users in France who want to publish online will have to register
their intent with the government, if a bill being considered by France's
parliament this week is passed.

The
Liberty of Communication Act -- passed by the House Tuesday and being debated
in the French Senate this week -- stipulates that users will have to fill out
an online registration form in order to post to the Internet.

Many
have suggested the added complexity to users could force French Web hosting companies
to relocate. Others have damned the bill as a serious infringement to online
freedom of speech and privacy that could spread across Europe. A spokesman from
The European Internet Service Providers Association (EuroISPA) said that if
passed, the French government could try to get the European Union to consider
enforcing similar regulations Europe-wide.

Supporters
of the bill say it is intended to make people legally liable for the material
they post on the Internet. Opponents say the bill goes too far in removing
personal privacy. "This is a terribly conventional approach," said
British Internet legal expert Nicholas Bohm of civil liberties group, Cyber
Rights and Cyber Liberties. "It comes from a government's long standing
fear of freedom of speech."

Bohm added: "This is an example
of what happens if you don't talk to industry and don't have the required
expertise to deal with these issues."

Robin
Bynoe, partner with law firm Charles Russell, said that the bill, ironically,
is in keeping with European directives. "The basic approach [of the EC] is
that the intermediary existing [ISP] is not liable for content posted. It is
the responsibility of the individual." He added however that, "those
who want, will be able to circumvent French laws to post scurrilous
material."